Exploits and Galactic Command

As we move towards the expansion launch, I wanted to post a reminder about our exploit policy and to talk about how it will work with Galactic Command. First, a general reminder on what to do if you think you have discovered an exploit:

Discontinue the questionable action immediately.

Send a private message to myself or Tait Watson on the forums with any and all details you have on the issue. Do not make a public post with this information.

Submit an in-game bug report.

If you happen to hear about a possible exploit, do not test it yourself. This can leave you open to action being taken against your account.

With those reminders in place, let's talk about Galactic Command and specifically Command Experience Points (CXP). When you reach level 70, most activities in the game will reward you with CXP, which will earn you Command Ranks and subsequently Command Crates. Since Command Crates are your source of end-game gear we are going to be extra diligent and harsh on exploits relating to CXP. As a reminder, an exploit is using the game in an unintended manner to gain an advantage, typically through the use of a bug or subversion of game mechanics.

If anyone is discovered to have abused an exploit related to CXP we intend to take severe action, including:

Resetting that character(s) Command Rank to 1

Stripping all gear/items earned from Galactic Command

Standard ToS action up to and including permanent ban

Again, if you discover an exploit, please refrain from using it and report it to us privately as soon as possible. Thanks everyone!

I thought that the weekly cap ensures that we cannot exploit Galactic Command.

Obviously, I'm going to try to farm as many Command Points as possible. When we don't know what is supposed to be the intended speed to get gear, how are we supposed to know what is considered an exploit?
Like you mentioned a long time ago that one hour in a SM operation gives one Command Crate. Is that still correct? So I guess 2-3 Command Crates per hour are still okay but 5-10 crates per hour are an exploit?

Players are naturally going to seek the quickest possible way to grind CXP Eric...is resetting an instance over and over an exploit? I assume all 'normal' things that players have done for years will be acceptable, but you've got to know that players are going to cruse through this the most efficient way possible so they can get back to doing the things they pay for.

All warfare is based on deception • If his forces are united, separate them • If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near • A leader leads by example not by force

I know you're only doing your job with this post, but geez. This does not exactly fill me with confidence about this system if you warn about exploiting it before it even hits live servers.

The fact that they have repeatedly stated "you only hit the limit if you're exploiting" and now this post make me a little worried that there is something going live that either is an exploit outright, or something "natural" within the game mechanics that they would consider an exploit if used in a certain context (I have an idea of something specific, but I don't wanna get sacked for trying to read someone's mind!).

As a reminder, an exploit is using the game in an unintended manner to gain an advantage, typically through the use of a bug or subversion of game mechanics.

It would be great for those players who intend to grind GC for gear to know in advance of possibly being punished for doing this, especially those who intend to enter operations and save lockouts etc on bosses.

Or is that still acceptable methods of gearing with GC? A simple yes / no answer will suffice Eric.

I wouldn't want to see any players to be caught up in undefined rules for GC gearing.

Thanks to everyone who has used my Refer a Friend link over the years, may the force be with you.

[*]If you happen to hear about a possible exploit, do not test it yourself. This can leave you open to action being taken against your account.[/list]

I guess I sort of understand the reasoning behind this (I assume you don't want people trying to weasel out of punishment by claiming they were "testing" an exploit). But... it also concerns me as it sounds a bit heavy-handed.

I mean, say I stumble upon an exploit and accidentally do it once. How can you tell the difference between that and testing it, or that and doing it intentionally to get unintended rewards/progression? I don't see how you possibly could tell the difference and if you punish for first time offenders, that's not going to be taken well.

And what if I hear a rumor, but I think it might be bull and I want to test it before I go sending some nonsense report in? Would you rather players not take the initiative just so that you can better discern who has or hasn't broken the rules? It seems like it'd be obvious that if somebody does an exploit once or twice, they're only testing it or stumbled onto it and if they do it repeatedly, it's intentional.

You also need to be extra clear, as TUX pointed out, on what is and isn't an exploit with Galactic Command, if you are going to be extra diligent.

This isn't my first rodeo with postings in MMOs about exploits and I've seen it go awry before. You need to make it crystal clear what constitutes crossing the line and that means being proactive about the details of CXP and gains, not just being reactive when you inevitably get reports about some bug.

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The statements and opinions expressed on these websites are solely those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, nor are they endorsed by Bioware, LucasArts, and its licensors do not guarantee the accuracy of, and are in no way responsible for any content on these websites.